Another Road Trip

The Animal Club is gaining a reputation for getting around the country in unorthodox ways. We're about to drive across country (again) for our weekend of shows in Bellingham, WA. The drive itself is fantastic; going through Montana and Idaho is pretty much a religious experience. The mountains and valleys and prairies are pure Americana, and even this hard-hearted liberal was moved to sing "This Land is Your Land" as we passed through Yellowstone.

After Bellingham, we'll have some local shows and then it's back on the road to NYC, which begs the question- how will we get there this time. We've driven, trained, and flew to NYC for our previous shows there, and I feel like we should try to get another mode of transportation in there. It just seems like the right thing to do. Here's what I would consider for the next NYC trip:

• Boat
I don't think the river system cuts from Chicago to New York, but the canals of the Great Lakes Waterways would eventually get us there. The downside is that we'd have to ride in a cargo ship, and that it would take upwards of two weeks to complete the journey. And once again, we'd be on a cargo ship. Doesn't mean it isn't worth it, though.

• Hot Air Balloon
If Steve Fassett can go around the world, clearly we can go however-hundred miles it is to the Big Apple. Since we're starting in the Windy City, I'd figure we'd make pretty good time, and most air currents run West-To-East, so there's that. Since there's five of us, plus a tech person or two, I'd assume we'd have to do a hot-air balloon convoy, which would be pretty cool. Unfortunately, that would create a parking hassle when we stop at Perkins for lunch. And hot air balloons only go as fast as the wind is blowing and there's no way to steer them, so there's no guarantee we'd actually arrive in NYC.

• Forced March
Ruth's a Native-American, so maybe we should honor that with a forced march from Chicago to New York. We could cry and die along the way to make it more like the original Trail of Tears, but then we'd have to re-cast some stuff once we got there. Also, I think we'd just fly back.

• The Wrong Direction
The mode isn't as important here as the direction is. The idea is probably to fly, but to fly West until we landed in New York. It'd probably be Chicago-San Francisco, Hawaii, Tokyo, New Delhi, Frankfurt, NYC.